Process and apparatus for electrical separation of suspended particles from gases



S. H. RHODES. A

PRocEss AND APPARATUSFOR ELECTRICAL SEPARATION OF SUSPENDED PARTICLES FROM GASES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19: 1919.

1,413,993 I ed pr. 25,1922.

BK Caz/w, MW 14f SOLON H. RHODES, OF RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO INTERNATIONAL PRE- CIPITATION COMPANY, 015 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALI- FOBNIA.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR ELECTRICAL SEPARATION OF SUSPENDED PARTICLES FROM GASES.

Application filed June 19,

T0 allwhomz'tmay concern: I

Be it known that I, SOLON H. RHODES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Riverside, in the county of Riverside and State of California, have invented a new and useful Process and Apparatus for Electrical vention is to provide for eflicient operation of processes of this kind in cases where the suspended material is of such nature as to interfere with effective precipitation, for exof conductlvity I ample, by reason of its lac interfering with-the maintenance of an effective precipitating field.

Incases of this kind, successful precipitation has, in some cases, been assisted by the use of water, applied in the form of spray or otherwise in such manner as to humidify the gases and vto cause the precipitate. to be deposited with sufficient water retained in or on the same to render the deposit conducting to the extentrequired' for successful op-.

'-eration; in some cases, however, for example, arsenic bearing fumes, it is difiicult to provide for effective precipitation by .the use of water alone and, in such cases, I have found that by the use of carbon smoke it is possible to control the conductivity or nature of the precioitated'material so as to favorably afie'ct the precipitating action.

I have also found that'in some cases it is pended material, for example, arsenic fumes,)

2 through 'the chamber or flue 1 wherein they are subjected to humidfying action by the spray desirable to use water sprays or humidifying means in addition to the smoke to further increase the 'efliciency of precipitation. My invention is based on,the above discoveries.

The accompanying apparatus sultable for carrying out my 1nvention, said drawing being a partly. sectional side elevation of such an apparatus.

Referring to the drawing, a chamber or" flue 1 adapted to receive the gases to be treated is connected at one end to the inlet flue 2 for such gases and at the other end toa chamber 3 having an outletconnection'to an electrical precipitator 4. Suitable means, such as spray pipes 5, may be provided in the chamber 1. A smoke producing means, forexample, a furnace 6, may have an outlet drawing illustrates an "means 6 and the Specification of Letters Patent. I Patented Apr, 25, 1922. I

1919. Serial No. 305,404..

connection 9 to the chamber 3, said furnace being adapted for the combustion of oil, or

other suitable fuel, and provided with burner means 7 and with air inlet means 8 regulable to provide for incomplete combustion of the fuel with consequent production of carbon smoke, which is discharged through outlet 9 into the chamber 3.

A water spray orhumidifying means 12 may also be provided in chamber3 between the smoke inlet 9 and the outlet 13 leading to the electrical precipitator.

Electrical precipitator 4 maybe of any suitable orusual construction, comprising, i

for example, vertical pipes 15 acting as collecting electrodes and wires 16 acting as dis-- charge electrodes, said discharge electrodes being mounted on insulated frame 17 connected by wire 18 to suitable means for supplying high potential electric current, for example, as setforth Cottrell, dated August 11th, 1908, No. 895,729.

The electrical precipitator 4 may be provided with outlet means or stack 19 for conducting away the cleaned gases. Suitable hammer means 20 may be provided for knocking the collecting electrode pipes 15 to in .the patentto F. G.

dislodge the precipitated material from the interior thereof, said material fallinginto.

the lower header 21 of the precipitator and being removed therefrom continuously or inmeans. Y

My process may be carried out as follows:

are passed from the inlet flue means 5 and then passed into the chamber or flue3 in which carbon smoke, such as oil, smoke, is passed,

' ases are then. passed to termittently, as required, by any suitable The gases to be treated (and carrying susfrom the smoke producingthe'lectrical, preclpitator being subjected,,

if desired, .to further water spraying action by means 12. In passing through the eletrical precipitator 4'the gases are subjected to. the. action'of an electric field between the dischargeelectrodes'lfi and the collect-' ing electrodes 15 with the result that the suspended particles are precipitated on the collecting electrodes and by reason of the presthe other suspended material is to increase ence of the carbon smoke in the gases and precipitation of the carbon smoke articles along with the other suspended partlcles, the resulting deposit on the collecting electrodes is rendered of such nature as 'to provide for efl ective precipitation. It has been found that Where the precipitated'material is of a highly non-conducting nature there is a tendency to accumulation of electric charge on the deposit, resulting in local ionization and eventual breaking down of the dielectric, so that eflecti've potential difierence cannot be maintained in the precipitator'; but that by rendering the deposit conducting this objectionable action can be eliminated --and full voltage maintained with resultant efi'ective precipitation. One efi'ect of the carbon smoke or oil smoke precipitated with the conductivity thereof and the moisture condensed, precipitated, or otherwise formed on the deposit, also has a similar effect, and, in some cases, it is desirable to use both of these conducting media concurrently; in such cases, the water may be added to the gases either before the smoke is distributed into the same or after, or both before and after, by suitable manipulation of the valves for the water spraying means 5 and 12. It

will also be understood that in the place of water an aqueous solution may be used, suitable" or the process in hand, or,--if desired, steam may be used in place of, or together, withwater. In some cases, the gases, .which are to b subjected to treatment, are already sufficiently humidified and, in such cases, the operation of the sprays 5 and 12 may be omitted; in other cases, the deposit may be made sufliciently conducting by carbon smoke alone without the useot any humidification. In

this connection, it may be stated that by the use of carbon smoke sufficient conductivity may be imparted to the deposit, in some cases, even when the precipitated material is at a high temperature, for example, "a temperature so far above 100 C. thatwater could not be used as a conductivity increas ing agent.

What I claim is:

1. The process of separating suspended particles, from gases, which consists in distributing carbon smoke into such gases, and then subjecting the gases to the action'of an electrical field in such manner as to precipitate the smoke together with the other material originally suspended in the gases.

2-. The process, as set forth in claim 1,

and comprising, in addition, humidifying to be treated and to conduct same to the electrical means for producing carbon smoke and for admitting such smoke into said gas conducting means. 5. An apparatus, as set forth in claim a, comprising, in addition, means for supplyin vwater to said gas conducting means.

%n testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 17th da of June, 1919.

I SOLON BHUDES. 

